


Becoming Someone Else

by Glass_Oceans



Series: The Ficlet Collection [52]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-13 00:47:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14738951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glass_Oceans/pseuds/Glass_Oceans
Summary: Shedding a skin





	Becoming Someone Else

**Author's Note:**

> Content notes: Blood

Ben stumbled through the quarters he’d been assigned on arriving at the ship. It was a luxury, having all this space to himself after living in a cold stone hut for so long. He took a few moments to brush his hands over the table and chairs, shelves and so much space set aside for things he could keep and own, things he would be allowed to possess. 

With a smile he set his lightsaber down on the very centre of the desk, and stared at his hand as he withdrew it. It was covered in soot and dried, flaking blood, covering over the scratches on his own skin. He touched the hand, his fingers travelling up his arm to the ruined sleeve of his padawan’s clothing, the fabric torn and stained beyond repair. Dropping his hands he strode with purpose to locate the rooms refresher unit. 

There he stepped into the sonic, turning on the water as hot as his skin could stand, still fully clothed. The water swirled black around his feet, and he turned his face towards the stream until his eyes began to sting. Blinking away the tears that the hot water had dragged to his eyes, he torn at the cloth until it sat in a sodden heap at his feet. He rubbed at his skin with the palms of his hands, but when that failed to remove the grime, the smoke, the screams, he began to scratch with nails that had been bitten down to the quick. His skin raised up in red welts under his too short nails, but he continued to grate at his skin until pinpricks of fresh blood rose up from his too tender skin. 

Ben sank to his knees as the blood was washed down his arms, rinsing away down the drain. His own blood; it felt like a release, a new state of cleanliness he hadn’t been able to achieve before. He began to sway, his eyes drifting shut, until finally the sonic, detecting no motion, shut off the water. Ben sat there a few moment longer until the chill of the tiles began to seep into his skin. He pulled himself to his feet, his body sore now, and collapsed into bed. 

Even the softness of the sheets felt rough against his newly tender skin, but Ben felt more at peace than he had in years as he wrapped himself within them, his damn body and healing wounds leaving spots of colour. In the morning he would wake, and he would be a new person.


End file.
